Methods and systems for adaptive estimation of remaining consumables level, such as toner, in an imaging machine are provided.
Various imaging machines include a “gas gauge” or other indicator for visualizing remaining levels of consumables, such as toner. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,218 to Wong et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,420 to Garr et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,774 to Applegate et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Other examples of “gas gauge” indicators can be found in various commercially available products, such as Xerox's Phaser™ 560 and 5500 Model Printers. These use either an actual measurement of toner usage or an approximation based upon empirical data.